Friday 31 May 2013

FFS Friday - Double bubble

Hello Friday! And hello long weekend! Not that it really makes any difference to me, but it means that Tiger will be getting double time and 1/2, woo hoo. Personally I'd prefer to have him home, but the $$ is a good second best. I don't really have very much to complain about this week, it's been a good week cause Mum has been here for most of the week. But of course I managed to come up with a few things to whinge about. 

Chai loves getting out of the house and regularly asks me to take him out. Monday I decided I'd take him to Rhyme Time at the library. I asked him if he wanted to go and he said he wanted to stay at home. FFS.

I convinced him it'd be fun and off we went. When I eventually found the library (it's the in same building as a community college, who would have thought) we went in and he was perfectly happy. Not FFS.

Five minutes before Rhyme Time started he insisted on going home. FFS.

That afternoon my Mum came to stay for a few days. Not FFS.

She said she'd be arriving in the afternoon and she'd let me know when she was on her way. Not FFS.

I got a message from her at 2.30pm saying she was on the way. That was going to work out perfectly as she lives and hour away and by the time she arrived Chai would have woken up from his nap. Because of this (and because I stupidly assumed that she'd have the common sense not to) I didn't bother texting to tell her not to ring the doorbell when she arrived. FFS.

She arrived at 3pm, rang the doorbell and woke Chai up. FFS.

I couldn't get him back to sleep. FFS.

A friend of Mum's is living in a house that is being sold by the same dodgy estate agency that is selling our house. FFS.

Mum's been telling me the things they have been doing to this poor woman. FFS.

We are in for some fun times. FFS.

They are so, so unethical. A few things they've done to this poor woman are: sedating her dog to allow them to show people through the house when she hasn't been home (without her authorisation), giving her less than an hours notice before coming through and coming through the house without her permission when she isn't home. FFS.

If they think they can get away with doing that to us they are going to get a very, very rude shock.

I've been having all sorts of problems with Chai sleeping lately. My usually easy to get to sleep boy has turned into a child who won't sleep and who takes at least 45 minutes to get to sleep. It hasn't been fun. FFS.

Tuesday he fell asleep in the car, I bought him inside and got him back to sleep. I then went out to lock the car. Mum was with me and didn't bother to tell me that she hadn't shut the boot properly until after I'd pressed the button to lock the car. FFS.

This meant that the car horn sounded five times, waking Chai up. He wouldn't go back to sleep. FFS.

So in the first two days that Mum was here she'd been responsible for waking Chai up both days. FFS.

I seriously contemplated asking her to go home. FFS.

But I didn't cause life with her around is a lot easier than when she's not around. FFS.

I hid all my books and magazines so that she couldn't take read them in the toilet and then contaminate them with toilet germs. Clever. Not FFS.

Thursday I had my obstetrician appointment. I made it for 9.40am as Chai and I are always up at 6.30am. Of course he slept in until 7.49am that morning. FFS. 

If it had just been the two of us this wouldn't have been a problem as I can be showered, dressed and ready to leave the house within 15 minutes, however Mum was with us and she takes forever to get ready. FFS.

By some miracle we managed to get to the Dr's on time. Not FFS.

For the first time ever, he was running late. FFS.

I was hoping I could have a quiet Drs visit whilst Mum looked after Chai however Chai was having none of that. So I had my Drs visit with Mum and Chai in the room. FFS.

It's been getting quite cold here lately, yesterday it was 12 degrees, so I headed to the shops and bought three beanies for Chai. He won't wear them. FFS.

That's all my whinges for this week. To read more whinges, head over to Sarah's blog.


I hope you all have a great long weekend! 
Dear Baby G

Thursday 30 May 2013

Blog Sale!

My lovely friend Lucy has all sorts of amazing things to get rid of and as she doesn't have her own blog I'm hosting a blog sale for her. Below is a sneak peak of some of the products, to see everything that's up for grabs, click here.






Wednesday 29 May 2013

Wishlist Wednesday

Image credit

Adore Beauty Best of Packs. There is a Skincare and Makeup version and a Skincare and Haircare version. I want them both, not only to try the products but because I love mini products and they would be perfect for my hospital bag when I have bub.

1 Skin Solution body products and candles - I absolutely love the 1 Skin Solution lip products so am sure the body products will be just as good. They are also bringing out a range of candles soon and the scents sound delicious.

Joeur cosmetics - I see Joeur popping up on so many blogs lately and the products all look gorgeous. Of course, it's not available in Australia, however they do ship internationally. I'm very tempted.
Image credit

By Terry Baume de Rose - This is one of those products that I doubt I will ever buy. Whilst it sounds amazing and gets rave reviews, I can't see myself ever being able to justify paying $92 for a lip balm. It's destined to stay on my wish list forever.

Monday 27 May 2013

Second Trimester Pregnancy Skincare


Now that I'm in my second trimester (in fact I'm nearly finished with my second trimester) and no longer so sensitive to fragrances the skincare that I'm using has changed quite a bit. 

I'm still using a gentle deodorant, I found a Lafes deodorant on iHerb (for a discount on your first iHerb order use code YUF175) made especially for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. I alternate between it and the one that Audra James made for me. Both are effective and gentle.

For my body I've been using Weleda Baby Calendula Lotion in the morning and either my Audra James Belly Oil or Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Balm at night. The Calendula body lotion is meant for babies but I love it as it's hydrating and yet light at the same time, so it dries quickly which means I don't have to wander around scantily clad for ages whilst I wait for my body lotion to dry.

My skin has been really dry recently so I've been using a shower oil to add some extra moisture to my skin. I like to use the Palmer's body oil or Rosehip oil.

Along with my body, my face has been really dry too so I pulled out my Clarins HydraQuench Cream. I really love this, it's a beautiful product, so hydrating and yet not greasy at all. Plus the packaging is lovely. I've been using the new Lancome Advanced Genifique followed by Sukin's Hydrating Mist Toner along with my HydraQuench and the combo is working very well for me. At night time I'm just using whatever night cream sample I'm trying to use up. 

I still have a whole pile of samples that I didn't finish during P100P so I'm slowly going through them and trying to use them all up. I'm determined to finish all my samples by the end of the year, I'm sure I'll be able to as I don't have that many left now. 

The Weleda Calendula Lotion, Burt's Bees Belly Balm and Lancome Genifique were all provided for review.

Friday 24 May 2013

FFS Friday - My clothes are shrinking, or not.

Hello Friday! I've been so confused this week and have had no idea what day it is. I blame Tiger, he usually leaves on a Wednesday but he left on Saturday this week and it's totally confused me. Add to that my wonderful prego brain and I've got no chance. I didn't realise till 10pm last night that it was Thursday.

Thanks to my prego brain I keep on forgetting to link up with Sarah for my FFS Friday post. Clever.

Last Friday I put on one of my new tops and realised it had shrunk. FFS.

I'd only paid $12 for it so thought to myself "that's what you get for $12" and went about my day. Saturday morning I put on another new top (this one had cost me around $60) and it too had shrunk. FFS.

I was about to complain to Tiger that my clothes were shrinking when I realised that the clothes hadn't shrunk at all, my belly had grown. FFS.

Gotta love my prego brain. It makes life so much more interesting.

Monday afternoon whilst Chai was asleep one of those super annoying charity door knockers rang my doorbell. FFS.

Luckily for him he didn't wake up Chai. Not FFS.

I'd seen them in the area so didn't bother answering the door. Not FFS.

That evening at 6.45pm our doorbell rang. FFS.

Stupid me opened the door and it was that bloody door knocker again. FFS.

Turns out he was from WWF and of course wanted money from me (only $1 per day for an indefinite period of time!) FFS.

I was in the middle of getting Chai ready for bed which he could clearly see but that didn't stop him. FFS.

He started talking about birds that fly over the house and drop honkey nuts and asked if I'd seen them. When I told him I haven't he was incredulous so I explained to him that we've just moved here, I also added that I didn't have time to talk but he continued on whilst I contemplated shutting the door in his face. FFS.

When I told him I'd just moved from Perth he replied with "Ohhhhh, we don't like Perth people here." FFS.

Apparently it's all the development in Perth that is making the birds fly overhead and drop honkey nuts. Naturally all the development happening in the southwest and the suburbs around me has nothing to do with it. FFS.

Somehow the honkey nuts getting dropped is killing animals and soon there will be no animals left. FFS.

I told the idiot I didn't have time to talk and started to close the door. He told me I'm a "cool chick" and it was great chatting to me. FFS.

Where do they find these people? You'd think they'd at least choose people with basic communication skills. Any idiot knows that insulting someone is not a good way to get them to give you money. FFS.

I'm going to make up a sign for the front door that says "If you want money, a donation, to talk about religion or to sell me anything, please go away. If you ring the doorbell you do so at your own risk." Or perhaps I should just say "Beware of the pregnant woman." Not FFS.

We've had a tough time this week. Chai has been really upset, clingy and whinging constantly. Nothing that I do makes him happy. I hate it when he's like this because I know that's he's missing his dad and there is nothing I can do about it. I talk to him about Daddy being away and I tell him it's okay to miss him and that he'll be home soon, but what else can I do? Any suggestions welcome!

Anyhow, Wednesday arvo my Dad came over to visit. Whilst he was there I decided to make healthy sausage rolls because Chai loves them and I figured I could freeze some for a quick and easy meal. Not FFS.

Naturally Chai wanted me to hold him the whole time I was cooking. FFS.

I was so proud of myself and Chai absolutely loved them, however I had failed to think about the total mess that puff pastry makes. FFS.

I had to vacuum the lounge room twice because it was covered in pastry. FFS.

Since we moved here we have been getting a lot of (boring) packages. The couriers and postie always arrive when Chai is asleep, ring the doorbell and wake him up. FFS.

At least if they were exciting packages it'd be some consolation but they aren't, they have all been boring. FFS.

The stupid real estate agency who are selling our house have started harassing us already. FFS.

They called Tiger last Thursday and said they wanted to come in to take photo's of the house. He told them he's going away to work and to call him in a few weeks. They called Tuesday. He just happened to have an RDO that day so answered the phone. He told the girl that he's away and to call him when he gets back. Wednesday he had six missed calls from the estate agency handling the sale. FFS.

He called them back that evening and they didn't answer the phone. Typical. FFS.

Yesterday he had eight missed calls from them. This time they didn't bother leaving a message. FFS.

After all the stress I've been through in the last six months I was really looking forward to having some time to de-stress and hopefully relax a bit before the new baby arrives. Having our house on the market has totally ruined that. FFS.

Now instead of relaxing and enjoying a bit of peace and quiet I will have people traipsing through the house all the time. FFS.

To me my home is my sanctuary, I hate having my private space invaded. FFS.

It was bad enough when I had to let people through the house to get something that I wanted (the house sold), now I'll have to let people through the house with no benefit to myself. FFS.

Considering the market at the moment and the price of this house, it's unlikely to sell quickly which means that I will have to deal with people going through the house for a very long time. FFS.

If there was any way I could break the lease without any penalties I would seriously consider it. FFS.

All the swear words in the world are not enough to adequately express how I feel about the owners of this property right now. FFS.

Even worse, the estate agency who are handling the sale of the property are known for their dodgy practices. Their best salesman is currently going through court proceedings for false advertising. I know that they are going to try as many dodgy things as they can so I will have to be on my toes at all times. Bastards. FFS.

Now that you've read my weekly whinge, head over the Sarah's blog and read all the other whinges.
Dear Baby G

Wednesday 22 May 2013

Wishlist Wednesday

Since I'm always lusting after something I thought I'd start a weekly post dedicated to the items that are currently on my wishlist.

This week I've decided that I need Chanel Rivage Rouge Coco Shine. I blame this on Kimberley because she posted a photo of it on Instagram and it's such a pretty colour. 
 
Image Credit

Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - I only have a tiny bit left in my tub and I desperately want to buy some more but I have so many other body lotions that I need to get through first. This smells amazing. If you like rose scents you need to buy this asap, it's heavenly. I've been using this as a belly moisturiser, I apply it first thing in the morning and at the end of the day I can still feel it on my skin. Heaven.

Sodashi Skin care - I hear so many raves about this range and it all sounds so lovely, but I just don't think I could justify the price. 
Image Credit

Lancome Teinte Visionnaire - The last thing I need is a new foundation, but this one is getting rave reviews and I love that it comes with a concealer on top of the lid.
Image Credit

Kosmea Apple of My Eye cream - I need a new eye cream and since I prefer to use natural products when I'm pregnant and breastfeeding this would be perfect. I am so, so tempted to buy it. 

Note: The links in this post are not affiliate links.

Monday 20 May 2013

The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag

I saw this on Tine's blog and since I am all about procrastination at the moment, thought I'd do it (I'm using it as an excuse not to change the sheets, fold the washing and finish unpacking, perfect).


1. Name a beauty regime that you rarely do?
Use a face mask. This is so bad! At my age I really need to start using face masks regularly but I just don't get the time. I've even put one in the shower to use but I still don't use it!


2. Is washing your make-up brushes something that you do regularly?
Not as regularly as I should, bad beauty blogger!
 

3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish?
Only until I get home, I hate chipped nail polish. I've been known to remove my nail polish with sticky tape when I was at work and didn't have any nail polish remover. 


4. How long will you put off buying/replacing a beauty product, even if you need it?
Hahaha, is this a trick question? I'm a beauty blogger, I always have spares and back-ups in my cupboard. 


5. What is your worst beauty habit?
Hmmm, I really had trouble thinking of one which is strange as I'm sure I have many bad beauty habits. I'd have to say neglecting my hair. Since having Chai I've been so lazy with my hair. I rarely get it trimmed, never colour it and never blow dry or straighten it. Lazy.


6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time?
Washing the windows. It's one of my least favourite jobs because as soon I clean the windows Chai puts his dirty hands all over them.


7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready to the last minute?
No, I love getting ready and like to take my time about it. 


8. Can you commit to spending bans?
Yes, I have several times however I hate them and don't want to do another one for ages.


9. How organised are your make-up and nail polish collections?
At the moment, not at all. We've just moved so I've got things all over the place at the moment, which I find really annoying because I have to hunt through everything to find what I'm looking for. 


I tag anyone who wants to do this tag. If you do, please post the link below so I can read it and thus continue my procrastination.

Friday 17 May 2013

FFS Friday - What not to say to your pregnant wife

This week I discovered that Chai has the ability to wake the baby up and it's not even born yet! FFS.

This does not bode well for when the baby is born. FFS.


Tuesday morning when I woke up Tiger informed me I did a fart so bad that it woke him up. FFS.

That goes on the list of things not to say to your pregnant, hormonal wife. FFS.

Wednesday I went to the farmers market and bought a whole pile of glorious fresh fruit and veggies, including a watermelon for Chai. Not FFS.





When we got home I was washing it all and Chai was sitting on the bench helping. Before I could stop him he got the watermelon and rolled it off the bench onto the floor. FFS.


On the way down it hit his toy box. FFS.


As you can imagine, there was watermelon everywhere, it looked like strawberry shortcake had been brutally murdered. FFS.


Our property manager called yesterday to let us know that our house (which we only moved into five weeks ago) is now for sale. FFS.

You have to be fucking kidding me! I was just starting to feel settled and now this. FFS.

I know we have a lease so we are fine for twelve months, however the last thing I need is people looking through our house all the time. FFS.

After four months of weekly home opens, if they think I'm going through that again they are going to get a very rude shock. FFS.

I checked the tenancy act and I have to let them show people through the house, providing they give 'reasonable' notice, however 'reasonable' is not defined. FFS.

Frankly after the stress of selling our own home, moving, unpacking whilst being pregnant with a fifo husband and a two year old, I don't find people coming through the house reasonable at all. FFS.

It certainly won't be reasonable when I have a newborn! FFS.

There is no way I'm going to be cleaning the house and trying to keep it spotless all the time, they will just have to see the house as it is, dirty dishes, toys everywhere etc. FFS.

The selling agent has already contacted us wanting to arrange a time to come through to take photos. FFS.

Considering two of the rooms are full of boxes, he's going to have a lot of fun trying to take decent photos. Not my problem. FFS.

And that's my whinge for the week. As you read this I will be in Perth enjoying a relaxing time with Tiger and Chai before Tiger flies out again for who knows how long. Have a beautiful weekend everyone. 

If you'd like to read more FFS Friday posts, head over to Sarah's blog
 
Dear Baby G

Wednesday 15 May 2013

My Everyday Face

I'm so nervous about posting this, my first FOTD post! I haven't posted any FOTDs in the past because unlike a lot of beauty bloggers I don't often wear dramatic makeup so it really isn't that noticeable. However, I realised that there are probably a lot of other women like me who wear natural makeup most of the time, so I decided to get brave and post a FOTD.

For the last few month I've been wearing pretty much the same look every day. It's quick and easy and it makes me look presentable instead of half asleep. Unlike my childless days when I could take as long as I wanted to do my makeup, now I usually have less than five minutes to make myself look decent and often I'm attempting to do this with Chai trying to grab all my products or pushing my legs because he wants to be picked up or played with. 








What I used:
Models Prefer All-In-One BB Cream, Covergirl Lashblast Fusion mascara, Nars Frivolous Velvet Gloss lip pencil, Ardell Clear Brow Sculpting Gel, Physician's Formula Deep Brown Eye Booster (from iHerb, discount code in the sidebar), MAC Taupe Impeccable Brow penci, Becca Baroque Eye Tint, MAC Summer Rose Beauty Powder. Chai was being very demanding this day so I didn't bother using concealer or powder, which I usually do.
I'm in love with this Models Prefer BB, it's as good as my HG BB from The Face Shop.


I have a love/hate relationship with Becca Eye Tints but I persist with them because I love the sheer wash of stay all day colour.

 One more look at the end result.

Monday 13 May 2013

Red Earth

 
In the 90's I loved Red Earth products, it was my favourite brand and I was so disappointed when they were discontinued. They used to have a gorgeous perfume that came in a round purple bottle, it was so nice. To my great delight Red Earth are back! 

During my P100P blow out I purchased a few products and I was also sent some to try. To my great delight they are all amazing. I will review everything fully soon, but for now here is a quick overview of what I got. 
Sheer Canvas Moisturising BB Cream - This is very light and yet hydrating at the same time. It will be perfect for summer. 

Expert Touch Silky Hydrating Concealer* - I mentioned this in my April Favourites post. It is now one of my top three favourite concealers. 

Lip Passion Premium Plumping gloss in Blush - A beautiful mlbb shade that I've been wearing a lot since I got it.

Lip Nectar Lip Balm in Pomegranate - Another beautiful mlbb shade, I'm planning on getting the clear version too.
Blush Pearl* and Desert Rose* Pure Colour Hydra Luxe Gloss lipsticks. Jubilee Pure Colour Hydra Luxe Sheer lipstick - These are all beautiful, very wearable shades. Whilst they look bright in the tube they go on sheer and lovely.
Colour Rush Baked Eyeshadow in Lunar Eclipse - I don't usually buy baked eyeshadows as I find the colour payoff to be really bad, but this is the exception. The colours are sheer but that makes them wearable. The brown looks dark but goes on lightly to make a great everyday shade.
Natures Child Illuminating Colour Stick in Sunbeam - I was a little worried that this would be too shimmery but it's not, it's a gorgeous, natural flush of pink. I've used this on my cheeks and lips and it works well for both. I can see this tube lasting me forever. 

All the Red Earth products are very reasonably priced and they have free shipping on orders over $75 or flat rate shipping of $5 for orders under $75. The shipping is amazingly fast. I placed my order on Friday afternoon and the products were in Perth on Monday!

You can purchase Red Earth products from their website.
I have my eye on a few more products so I'll post about them once I've ordered.

Products market with a * were provided for review.

Saturday 11 May 2013

Who is on Bloglovin?

I'm a bit slow on the uptake here, but now that Google Reader is gone I've switched over to using Bloglovin. I've followed as many of you as I can think of, however if you are on Bloglovin please paste the link below so that I can make sure I'm following you. 

If you'd like to follow me, click here.

Friday 10 May 2013

FFS Friday - The Never Ending Telstra Saga

I mentioned before that my phone was in for repairs. I've been lost without it. FFS.

The phone I've been using is a crappy prepaid phone with a 2mp camera that can't even do video calls. FFS.

Last Friday I called the Telstra store to see if my phone was fixed. They didn't answer the phone. FFS.

Instead I got put through to the call centre. FFS.

I spoke to the call centre who told me that the phone had been sent to the store and gave me their direct number so I could call and ask if it was there. The number they gave me was disconnected. FFS.

I tried calling the store with the number in the white pages and again they didn't answer. FFS.

Undeterred (I was determined to find out where my phone was!) I rang the call centre back. After going through the whole process again the lady I spoke to told me that my phone had only been sent to the store that day so they wouldn't have received it yet. FFS.

I had to go past the Telstra store whilst I was out that morning and contemplated popping in to check if my phone was there however the size of the queue put me off. FFS.

I'd been home ten minutes when I got a call from the Telstra store telling me my phone was there. FFS.

When Chai woke up from his nap I went in, stood in line for 20 minutes listening to the guy who takes care of the queue be rude to his customers, picked up my phone and went home. When I got home the phone froze five times in ten minutes which is worse than it was before it was fixed! FFS.

I also noticed that it wasn't capable of making phone calls! FFS.

I called the Telstra shop. By some miracle they answered the phone and told me that I had to go back down there to get a new sim card. FFS.

It was 4.30pm by that time so I threw Chai in the car, raced down there and got a new sim card. FFS.


I hoped I wouldn't have to go back there any time soon! FFS.

Remember the fiasco with the auto electrical place last week? Well there's more to the story. 

I called the dealership (North City Holden) where we bought our car and asked them if they could get the part for me. They said that it'd take a few weeks and that they'd order it. They called me last Friday and said that they'd found me a part in Albany and it was ready whenever I wanted to bring the car up. Not FFS.

Guess how much it cost to repair? Nothing. It's under warranty. Not FFS.

Unsurprisingly the Telstra saga continues. FFS.

I'm really amazed at the difference in service you get from Telstra. Their phone staff are amazing, so helpful, easy to deal with and pleasant. Not FFS.

Their store staff are unhelpful, never seem to know what they are doing and make everything so difficult. FFS.

My phone has been getting worse and worse since it was fixed. Instead of just freezing it is now turning itself off (and sometimes on again) at random intervals and I regularly can't unlock the screen. As our home phone is not working (that's another FFS), I really need my mobile to work. FFS.

I called Telstra on Saturday and arranged to get a new phone. Without me asking they offered to waive the $900 contract cancellation fee and said that all I needed to do was pay off the phone (which was only $200) and I could get a new phone. Not FFS.

I tried calling the Bunbury Telstra store to see if they have the phone I want in stock, but as usual they didn't answer the phone. FFS.

Their answering machine message says that if you leave your details they will call you back by close of business that same day. They didn't call me back. FFS.

It's now a week later and they still haven't returned my call. FFS.

I had to do some food shopping so decided I'd head to the Telstra store on Monday and get a new phone. I waited in line for 15 minutes and spoke to the rude man (who was surprisingly pleasant), told him I want to upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy S4. He asked me to wait over in another part of the store whilst he dealt with the rest of the queue. After another 10 minutes waiting he came over and once again I told him I wanted to upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy S4. He told me no-one could help me with that for another hour. FFS.

I did my shopping and wandered around the shops with a very well behaved Chai for an hour then went back to the Telstra store. After another 10 minute wait someone came to help me. As soon as I told her I wanted to upgrade to a Galaxy S4 she told me they don't have any in stock, don't know when they'll be in stock and aren't taking orders or calling people when they arrive. FFS.

It turns out the man who handles the queue is the manager, so it's pretty disgusting that he didn't know what phones are in stock. FFS.

Wednesday Tiger called Telstra and explained everything to them and they are sending the phones out to us. Not FFS.

In future I will only deal with the call centre wherever possible. 

I am seriously contemplating opening up a Telstra store in Bunbury. I bet if I was nice to the customers and provided decent service no-one would ever go to the other store again. 

Now that you've read about my weekly mishaps, head over to Sarah's blog and see what everyone else has been up to this week. 

Dear Baby G

Thursday 9 May 2013

Mothers Day Wishlist

It's mothers day on Sunday. Who still hasn't bought their Mum a present? If you haven't here is my last minute gift guide (aka, what I'd like to receive!)
Image 1
Pana chocolate I Love You Mum gift box - This is available for the bargain price of $28.95 and it contains the Rose chocolate which I'm dying to try. 

Sukin products - I'd be delighted to receive anything by Sukin, their skincare is amazing and it's so reasonably priced. I've got my eye on their Purely Ageless range and Hydrating Body Lotion amongst other things. As an added bonus they are currently 20% off at Priceline.


Narciso Rodriguez - L'eau EDT
Narciso Rodriguez perfume - This is one of my all time favourite perfumes. I finished my bottle about a year ago and haven't repurchased it yet. 

Time out and cash- I would love to have $200 and a whole day to myself. Since Chai was born I haven't had more than a few hours alone, having a whole day to myself would be amazing.

A magazine subscription - I love magazines but rarely buy them anymore, usually because I don't get the time to browse the magazine aisle. It'd be great to receive a subscription so that I could still get my monthly magazine fix. 

Breakfast or lunch out with the girls - I don't remember the last time I got together with a bunch of my girlfriends for a meal and a chat. 
Benefit - Fakeup
Benefit Fakeup - I'm a concealerholic so would love to try Benefit's new concealer.

An Audra James gift voucher - I love Audra's products so a gift voucher for her store would be lovely. 

Anything from Illamasqua - We don't have an Illamasqua counter in WA, I really wish we did.  

Jane Iredale and Nvey Eco products - I've tried a few things from both ranges and would love to try more.

Or for something really simple and easy, flowers and chocolate would be lovely too. 

I hope all the lovely mothers out there have a wonderful day.

Wednesday 8 May 2013

Clarins BB Skin Perfecting Cream


BB's are all the rage at the moment, it seems like every week there is another one launched. One of my favourite skin care brands, Clarins, has recently released one and I was lucky enough to have one sent for review. 


Skin Perfecting Cream comes in three shades, light, medium and dark. The bad news for those of us with pale skin is that it's probably going to be too dark. Light is too dark for my MAC NC20 skin (see the My Colour Matches page for more of my colour matches if you don't know your MAC shade). 

You can see in the photo's below that even when I rub this in it's very noticeable on my skin. I tried mixing it with moisturiser and could just get away with it, but in my opinion that defeats the purpose of wearing a BB.
Not rubbed in.
Rubbed in.
I gave this to one of my friends to use and am now very jealous that I can't wear it because it looks amazing on her. When she wears it her skin looks naturally flawless. I couldn't tell that she was wearing anything, she just looked fresh and healthy.
 

On the right skin tone Skin Perfecting Cream is undetectable, it makes the skin look luminous and flawless. Of all the Western BB's that I've tried this would have to be one of the closest in texture and finish to the Asian BB creams, which makes me more disappointed that I can't wear it!

Ingredients:

Monday 6 May 2013

Carmex Peach Moisture Plus Lip Balm

It's no secret that Carmex is one of my favourite lip balms. I remember many, many years ago it was the first balm I found that healed my very dry, cracked lips. I'd tried every lip balm at the chemist and it wasn't until I asked the chemist if there was anything else I could use that he produced this pot of magic from behind the counter. It's been a staple in my collection ever since.
I love the new Moisture Plus balms and always have one in my handbag. (You can read my review of the clear and pink versions here.) I've been hoping that we would get more of the colours in Australia and now we have! I'm hoping we'll get the plum and berry versions soon too.
 
I usually can't wear peach tones however this version is very wearable. Instead of being a very bright peach it's a subtle peach with a slight coolness to it.
I'll update my post soon with a photo of Peach Tint on my lips. The photo that I took turned out all blurry and in the move I've misplaced my balm so can't retake the photos. Hopefully it will turn up soon! I suspect that Chai may have snaffled it as he is a lip balm addict just like his mummy.

Moisture Plus Lip Balm can be purchased for $8.95 from Chemists, Priceline and Supermarkets.
 Ingredients:



Sunday 5 May 2013

Project 100 Pan is Over!!!!!

I AM DONE!!!!! I'm so proud of myself. It's been a long and difficult journey but I have finally finished Project 100 Pan. I was expecting to take a few more weeks however this morning I finished three products and now I'm done!

It's a happy coincidence that I'm going to Perth tomorrow so I may purchase a few things I've had my eye on for a while, but I'm not planning a huge haul.
 

91. Matthew James Root Lift
92. Echolife Calcium Bentonite Clay
93. Palmolive Thermal Spa Firming shower gel
94. Auscreen Everyday sunscreen lotion
95. Busby Pure Tissue Oil
96. Healthy Care Super Body Oil
97. Ardell Brow Scuplting Gel
98. Firebird Almond Milk Perfume Oil
99. Lendan Beauty Flash
100. WotNot Travel Facial Wipes

If you read my FFS Friday posts you'll know that I broke P100P a little while ago. I did consider adding those products onto P100P but I decided not to, I think I've gone long enough and I really want this endless P100P to be over.

Where to now? We've moved towns so I no longer have easy access to products, if I want something I have to order it online and I am much less likely to do that as I am an impulse shopper. When we moved I got to see how huge my collection is, it's crazy. I don't have as much make-up as I thought I did, however I have a huge amount of lipsticks which I'll never get through before they go off. What really surprised me is the bath, body and skincare products I have. I didn't realise that I had so many. 

I'm going to organise them into categories and take photo's of everything so that I can use up what I've got. I think I've run out of something so replace it, when in reality I've already got it but don't realise. I am also considering listing everything so that I get to cross products off my list as I use them. 

Another thing I'm going to do is give away or throw out products that I don't like or don't work for me. That's half my problem. I'll buy something, use it and find I don't like it, but I think it's a waste to throw it out so I keep it. That's pointless and just means I end up with a heap of products sitting around. Now that I've moved I have more people I can give my unwanted products to, so I'm going to keep them in a box and when someone comes over they can go through the box. After a while anything that's left will go in the bin. 

As I photograph and list everything I'm also going to go through and have a good clean out. Anything that I don't like, don't use or is off will go. It's time to get strict and get rid of things. Plus, I don't want to have to move everything a second time when we move in a year. Hopefully by the time we move next I will only have one box of products. 

That's it. I'm done and don't plan on doing another project pan for a while. I shouldn't say that though because last time I did I started P100P the next day!


Friday 3 May 2013

FFS Friday - The Prego Panic

It's Friday! Time for me to regale you all with my tale of weekly woes. 

Due to Chai destroying my laptop when we talk to Tiger on Skype every night, I was forced to get a tablet.

I've never been a fan of tablets, I just don't see the point, however since my phone has died it's come in quite handy. Until it died 2 weeks and 1 day after I got it. FFS.

Samsung appliances and I clearly don't get a long very well. FFS.

I tried and tried to get it to work but it wouldn't turn on. FFS.

I went to the shop where I bought it and just to be sure, tried to turn it on in the carpark, nothing. You know what's going to happen next don't you?

I took it into the shop and it turned on for the tech guy straight away. FFS.

Last week our bin wasn't emptied. FFS.

Of all the weeks it was the week when we had so much rubbish that we couldn't fit it all into the bin so we'd left some of it in the garage until the bin was emptied. FFS.

We put it out the night before bin day and at the end of bin day it was still full. FFS.

The next day was ANZAC day so I couldn't call the council until Friday. Thankfully they emptied it on Friday. Meanwhile I had 3 bags of rubbish stored in the garage. FFS.


A few weeks ago our car broke. The switch that makes the radio turn off when we get out of the car stopped working so unless we turn the radio off, it stays on. We took it to an auto electrician last week when Tiger was still here but they needed the car for the whole day. So we booked it in and I took it to them on Monday. When I picked the car up they told me that the part they needed to fix the car wasn't available so they'd done another fix that should work. (They hadn't bothered to call me to get permission to do their dodgy fix.) I asked if we should order the correct part and they assured me that the fix should be okay and I shouldn't need the part. I was a little dubious about this but assumed they knew what they were doing so paid them $396 and left. FFS.

When I got home the radio stayed on. By this time it was after 5pm, I had a hungry child and was stressed out after the baby fiasco (see below). I rang the guy, told him that the car was broken again already and he said he'd order the part for me. After I got off the phone, gave Chai tea and settled down a bit I got mighty pissed off that they'd done unauthorised work on the car, charged me $396 and that a few hours later it wasn't working again. FFS.

Tiger was understandably furious when he found out what had happened so he called them and told them off for doing unauthorised work on our car and taking advantage of a pregnant woman. They refunded us the money. Won't be going there again. FFS.

Now for the baby fiasco. When I was pregnant with Chai he moved all the time. All day, non stop. When I say non stop I mean non stop. He'd kick at least five times every hour. This baby is much quieter and I only feel it kick a few times a day. It does most of it's kicking in the middle of the night so unless I'm awake I don't feel it. FFS.

Sunday the bub was very quiet, I only felt it move twice and I was a little worried. Monday I didn't feel the baby kick at all so in the morning I called my Dr to speak to him about it. I explained my concerns to the receptionist who said she'd get the Dr to call me. Two minutes later she called and said he needed to see me at 4.30pm to examine me and do an ultrasound. FFS.

Up until this point I hadn't been too concerned but her phone call sent me into a panic. I called my cousin to borrow her doppler machine so that I could make sure bub had a heartbeat but she was in Perth. FFS.

I ate 3 chocolate biscuits, nothing. I drank two glasses of oj (always makes bub kick), nothing. I lay on my stomach, nothing. I poked and prodded my stomach as hard as I could, nothing. FFS.

By this time I was convinced that bub had died. It was only 10am, I couldn't get in touch with Tiger cause he was at work, my Dad was at work, my Mum wasn't answering her phone and my cousin was in Perth so I was alone with the whole day ahead of me. FFS.

I calmed myself down and a few hours later was sitting at my computer when I felt bub move a few times. The kicks were a lot softer than usual so I imagined that the cord was stuck around it's neck and the movements I could feel were it's final death throes (yes, that is a very scary peek into the way my brain works. This is why I don't talk about my thoughts much!) FFS.

I had no-one to look after Chai so had to take him to the Dr's with me. He was so good. The Dr was waiting when we arrived, he did an ultrasound and bub was moving and kicking away happily but I couldn't feel it. The heartbeat was regular and everything looked fine. Not FFS.

The Dr told me that my placenta is anterior (at the front), so that muffles the kicks and explains why I can't feel it very much. I wish I'd known that before I spent the whole day in a blind panic! But the most important thing is the bub is fine. Not FFS.

To take my mind off the baby not moving, I decided to make pancakes for lunch on Monday. I was making the last one when Chai decided he wanted to be picked up (he has brilliant timing). FFS.

I picked him up and was moving the pan around to spread the pancake mixture a little when I tipped it out the side of the pan and onto the burner. FFS.

In my effort to get it back into the pan I tipped more mixture out the other side of the pan. FFS.

I ended up with pancake mixture all over the hotplate, pan and burner. FFS.

Tuesday Chai and I paid a visit to Kmart. I bought him a little workman table and to his great delight it came with tools. We were walking around the shopping centre and he was waving his new hammer around when a lady we were walking passed yelled out, "oh my god, he's got a hammer". I assumed she was just playing along as it was clear Chai was delighted with his hammer, so I just smiled at her. Then she continued "He's got a hammer, please don't hit me, make sure he doesn't hit me with the hammer. Is it real?" I looked at her and said "of course it's not real, it's plastic". Stupid woman. FFS.

How anyone could mistake a plastic hammer for a real one is beyond me. I know we are in the country now but surely two year olds walking around with hammers is not something that you'd see very often. FFS.

Why is it when kids get sick they always come down with it at night? Last night I put Chai to bed as per normal, went into the kitchen and started to tidy up when I heard him crying. FFS.

He was suddenly all blocked up, with a nasty cough and he couldn't breathe. FFS.

There went my plans to tidy up, relax for a little while and then get my FFS Friday post finished. FFS.

I finished the post with him sitting on the table pressing buttons on my laptop, eating all the fruit, sneezing all over me, plugging the mouse in and making me type where I didn't want to, throwing the fruit onto the floor and generally making life difficult. FFS.

It's times like this that I hate solo parenting. FFS. 

Now that you've had a laugh at my week, head over to Sarah's blog for more amusement.



Dear Baby G